I’m going on vacation this month. Not a trip, not a conference, nor an artists colony, nor an adventure holiday, volunteer stint, or any other change-of-pace that gets mislabeled a vacation. I am going on a real vacation. With a beach.

There’s a saying: “A change of work is rest.” No, it’s not. Rest is rest. Yes, I will write (if I feel like it), but no, I won’t be doing any business. I will take a notebook. The spiral kind. And steal hotel pens.

When I get home, I will have nothing of interest to report. Because I will do nothing. There will be sun, sand, and ocean and the hotel has a pool and an outdoor jacuzzi. You don’t even need an imagination to see this, do you? The only thing I’m going to be disciplined about is sunscreen.

When I’m not on vacation, I’m very productive. For one week in February, the hell with that. When I can’t get away, I do this. Here’s to nada.

It's a Happy New Year again on February 19th! Is it the goat, the ram, or the sheep? I have very different feelings about goats, rams, and sheep. I don’t know how to feel about this lunar year to come. On the up side, this year will supposedly have qualities of peace, balance, harmony, and calm (yay!). Then again, believers in this stuff apparently don’t want their children born in a year that also represents following, passivity, and well, dullness. Whatever. I’ve decided it’s going to be a very good year to loyally follow your routines in a ploddingly consistent manner.